Cognitive behavior therapy does not typically include the use of emtion in its treatment protocols. Emotion Rituals addresses this omission with a thorough discussion of the interplay between thoughts and emotions as vital to the therapeutic process. McMillan's emotion rituals allow clients to apply what they learn in therapy sessions to daily life, fostering continual growth outside of the therapy hour and increasing the effectiveness of each session. McMillan's unique writing style imparts hard facts and theoretical discussion in a conversational tone, presenting new and complicated ideas in a readable and comprehensible manner. Each chapter is devoted to one emotion, and the rituals are suitable for use by both client and therapist, allowing them each to better understand emotion and emotional responses. The result is an accessible and lively text that offers an original approach to healing through feelings.

As cognitive behavioral therapy continues to gain popularity and credibility as one of the leading approaches in psychotherapy, practitioners, researchers and theorists are working to integrate existing concepts into CBT. Emotion Rituals presents a novel theory of the effect that emotions and feelings may have in changing cognitive behavior when introduced to the therapy process through the correct ritual. By exploring the interplay between thoughts and feelings, the author shows that emotions are an integral part of the therapeutic process, which can affect the cognitive thought processes of a patient. Feelings create thoughts and feelings change feelings. McMillan draws from classic writings on emotion, current research and theory in the fields of neurochemistry and neuropsychology, and his own experience as a practitioner to explore an understanding of emotion in the context of CBT. This book proposes that real change can come about outside of the therapy hour, in a patient's daily life, through the use of rituals developed and practiced with the therapist. therapy and apply it to her own life, furthering the change process and increasing the effectiveness of the next session. Through his unique writing style, which blends hard facts, sound theoretical discussion, and an easy conversational style, the author is able to present a new and complicated treatise in an eminently readable text. McMillan presents complex ideas through dialogue with patients, group therapy members, and colleagues, orienting the reader in a question-and-answer format that makes the material come alive.